Revelations
by Lalaith Quetzalli
Summary: Sequel to Izuki... A new mision, an isolated lady, secrets for so long kept buried will finaly come into the light, and once they do those involved will never be the same. Be ready, because everything you know is about to change. KI, MK, slight SS, NH.
1. Bakemono

Revelations

_By: Lalaith Quetzalli_

(Sequel to: Izuki)

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Naruto bla, bla, bla… I do own this fic, its prequel, the character of Izuki, any other character you may not know and his or her story.

**Chapter 1.- Bakemono. **

Almost a year had passed since Izuki came to live with her brother to the Uchiha residence, right after being let out from the hospital, where she had been a full month due to certain wounds attained during the battle with Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigake Kisame. Since then it was also official her relationship with Hatake Kakashi, and some ninja assured they would be marrying soon. But if that were true or nothing more than a mere rumor, it was yet to be known.

Every morning Izuki and Kakashi would meet in the memorial for the fallen nins, where they went to remember their friends and former senseis; then each would take their own path. Kakashi would go to the bridge to meet with his team, as always arriving late, and they would go to train for a while, or to fulfill some mission. Izuki on the other hand would go to the hospital where she some times trained the new medic-nins or attended some patients; or if she had a mission with the ANBU. Sometimes in that mission she somehow ended paired up with Kakashi (not that any of them would complain).

Many things had changed in those months. For one Sasuke was slowly changing from the cold and indifferent boy who seemed to care about nothing but himself to a calm, sentimental but still serious young man who would do anything to defend those he cared for (being his sister and two best friends at top of the list). After a while the Uchiha had grown used to having his sister Izuki back in his life, he had come to accept it was good to have someone near who cared for him as much as Izuki did.

Naruto became more powerful with every passing day, no matter if he trained with his team, or the few days Jiraiya would go train him; the advances of the blonde shinobi were really remarkable. His usual orange outfit was there as were his ever present smile and unchangeable sense of humor.

But if someone was really impressing everyone that had to be Sakura. In just ten months she had already mastered all levels of the healing chakra, and every healing jutsu, she was now considered as an official medic-nin, and used to carry a third pouch on the opposite side of her waist from where she carried her weapons. In that pouch she carried bandages, antiseptic, all different kind of pills, some herbs, and a couple of chakra-bottles for emergencies. Also she had learned from Shizune the art of acupuncture, and Sakura would normally carry two light-pink fans in which she used to carry the needles. Also Sakura now used a slightly different outfit, her red kimono was longer and reached almost to her feet, and her pants where now a fading-pink and reaching to below her knees; with short sleeves and a high neck, it had small pink cherry blossoms in the end; her blue ninja-shoes and she still used her protector as a bandana, her hair remained as short as that day after the second test in the Chuunin Exam.

Another new detail may be the fact that the three of them had been promoted to Chuunins after their performance in the battle against the two members of the Akatsuki. They now had more important missions (at least most of the time); their leader was still Kakashi, and some times Izuki would join them to help (even if those three didn't seem to really need much help).

.---.

One day Izuki was giving healing classes to her students as always, teaching them how to close a wound using just the exact measure of chakra so as not to exert oneself too much.

Izuki was already in the middle of the class, trying to teach one of the girls how to close the wound and not open it further; suddenly there was a light knock in the door.

"You may come in." Izuki said without taking her eyes off the student.

"Ohayo Izuki-sensei." Sakura greeted as she entered the classroom.

"Ohayo Sakura-chan." Izuki said with a smile. "What news?"

"Our team has a mission later today, but I thought I could come pay you a visit before." Sakura explained as she looked at everyone in the class. "Having problems?"

"A bit." Izuki confessed.

Sakura arrived to where the woman was having problems. The young woman, of around nineteen, was currently distressed over her obvious failure.

"First of all you need to calm down." Sakura told her. "If you are stressed out it won't work. Then focus the energy in your hands."

To show her Sakura took the young woman's hands between her own and began focusing chakra so the student would follow her lead.

Izuki watched in silence as the student followed Sakura's indications and shortly after managed to do the exercise wonderfully.

"Arigato Sakura-sempai." The woman told her.

And the pink-haired kunoichi thought it was rather ironic, as she was way younger than all of the students, and still they called her their superior. It was understandable considering Sakura was more advanced in the medical jutsus than them, but if ages had been involved, well…

"So, is everything ready?" Sakura asked in a low voice to Izuki.

"Hai." Izuki nodded. "Kakashi-kun thought it was a good idea, and Sasuke-kun insists it is going to be useless because Naruto-san will suspect and there will be no surprise, but I still believe it is a good idea."

"I believe Naruto-kun deserves it." Sakura murmured. "I've never known of him celebrating his birthday in any way. A surprise birthday party is just what he needs to see how much we care for him, he's a very good friend of ours. I even got his present ready, it's not big, but I believe he'll like it."

"I too have a present for him, it's not something big, but I believe he'll like it. And Sasuke-kun, I'm sure he'll have one too."

"Are all the guests confirmed?"

"Hai. We won't be many; you, Kakashi-kun, Iruka-san, Shizune-san, Sasuke-kun, I, obviously Naruto-san, and maybe even Tsunade-sensei."

"You take care of the food, ramen obviously; I'll be bringing the cake."

"Hai. Kakashi-kun will get the drinks, Shizune-san cookies, and surely enough Tsunade-sensei will bring the sake."

"She'll never change, will she?"

"Iie, she won't."

"Well, I must leave or I'll be late for the mission." Sakura said as she took a look at her clock. "Sayonara minna-san, Matta ne Izuki-sensei, I'll see you tonight."

Izuki just nodded as Sakura closed the door behind her.

"And now, what are you looking at?" Izuki asked to her students. "Back to your work."

The students immediately nodded and turned back to their dummies, specially done for this kind of classes; the rest of their class passed by without any more interruptions.

.---.

Sakura arrived right in time at the bridge to meet up with her teammates.

"Will you please repeat me what kind of mission is this?" Naruto asked, he seemed a bit bored (not that it is something new).

"Hai." Sakura nodded. "We must go to the Kigiri Residence and help recollect some herbs. They are very important."

"Is this another D-umb mission?" Sasuke asked, not liking the idea.

"Not exactly." Sakura shook her head. "The Kimazuu Family is said to be very important, the last surviving heiress is said to have been apart from the main activity in Konoha and live in isolation in the farthest part of the village for about fourteen years; but apparently her name still grants her the same importance it did before."

Just then Kakashi arrived and told them they had to get going.

"We'll be late if we don't hurry." He told the team.

"We would be already there had you not arrived late, as always." Sakura reprimanded him. "For Kami's sake, you didn't even arrive on time to get the mission, I had to get it."

"I know, I know." Kakashi nodded. "But even if I don't know for whom you're doing this mission no one likes lateness."

"I've heard the woman who hired us is very important." Sakura commented. "I believe her name was Naoko, Kimazuu Naoko."

"What?" Kakashi was in sudden shock.

But the three chuunins were so concentrated in getting to the house on time they didn't seem to notice his change of attitude.

Kakashi immediately took out a piece of paper, wrote a quick note, called a bird and sent it.

"Izuki better receive this soon." Kakashi murmured to himself. "I have a bad feeling about this mission. Kimazuu…"

.---.

Izuki was supervising the therapy of one of the patients when a small bird descended upon her shoulder.

"What do we have here?" Izuki asked with a small smile as she took the small message.

Her smile quickly faded, turned into an expression that could all the same be showing confusion, nervousness our even panic.

"This can't be happening." Was all Izuki murmured before putting the message away, then she turned to a nurse. "Excuse me, I've got to leave early, personal business to attend."

And before the nurse could even answer Izuki took off her white medical robes and left the hospital running as fast as she could.

"I must get there fast." Izuki murmured to herself. "If those two see each other, there will be serious trouble."

.---.

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke arrived to the Kimazuu Residence right in time. A servant guided them to the garden and they began recollecting the different herbs. Being Sakura able to use the Cloud Walk she was the appointed one to recollect the leaves that were in high places. Naruto had been assigned the responsibility of taking the herbs and roots at ground-level. And finally Sasuke got them arranged in the different baskets they had been given. Everything was going fine so far.

Kakashi just stood there, apparently supervising his student's work, although his mind was somewhere else.

'Izuki, you better get here soon.' Kakashi thought.

The three teens had done already most of the job when a woman came from the back door of the residence; dressed in a beautiful cream kimono that combined with her short cooper hair and sky-blue eyes, she was surely in her early-thirties. For a moment Kakashi felt he was seeing someone else: a tall woman with the same eyes but long fire-red hair.

"How is everything going?" the woman asked.

"Perfectly fine." Kakashi answered. "It is almost finished."

"Wonderful." The woman said with a smile. "You've been of great help."

"It's a pleasure." Sakura said turning her head while still floating in the air.

And even if the woman seemed suddenly surprised at seeing the pink-haired kunoichi up there she didn't comment about it.

"Oh, but I'm being so impolite." The woman said with a smile. "My name is Kimazuu Naoko. I know your sensei is Hatake Kakashi, and you are?"

"Haruno Sakura." She was the first to introduce herself.

"Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke wasn't too used to introducing himself to those for whom they worked, but he didn't care anyway.

Suddenly Naruto poked his head from behind some bushes in which he had been working, knowing he had to introduce himself.

"And I'm Uzuma…"

"Bakemono!" the woman, Naoko, yelled at him.

"Nani?!" Sakura was suddenly shocked by the woman's reaction.

Naruto's look was of plain hurt.

"Bakemono!" Naoko repeated, almost in rage. "You horrible monster, what are you doing at my home?"

"Why are you calling him monster?" Sakura asked, getting mad at the woman's attitude.

"Because he is a monster!" Naoko yelled at him. "The ni…"

"Stop it Kimazuu-dono." Kakashi said suddenly serious. "You know the rules…"

"To hell with the rules!" Naoko spat. "That monster killed my sister!"

"Iie, he didn't." another voice interrupted.

They all saw as Izuki descended from the sky (she had arrived there Cloud Walking).

"Uchiha Izuki-san…" Naoko whispered. "So it is true you are back."

"I've been back for almost one whole year Naoko-dono." Izuki said seriously. "If you weren't so closed up you would have noticed. And all the same you would have noticed Naruto-san is no monster."

"He is a monster!" Naoko insisted. "The monster that killed my dear sister fourteen years ago: Kushina-onee-sama!"

At this Naruto couldn't handle it any longer and ran away.

"Naruto-kun!" Sakura yelled at him, then she turned to Naoko, fire in her eyes. "See what you've done! You had no right to tell him that."

"You know nothing girl." Naoko said angrily.

"I do know Naoko-dono. I know you're being very unfair, with Naruto-san and with yourself." Izuki said seriously yet sadly; then she turned to the other two shinobis. "Sakura-chan, Sasuke-kun, please follow Naruto-san, and if he tries to leave Konoha stop him. I'll catch up with you in a moment."

"Demo…" Sakura began.

"Onegai." Izuki pleaded. "Everything will be explained in a moment. But first you need to go find Naruto-san."

"Come on Sakura-chan." Sasuke said.

The pink-haired kunoichi finally nodded and went up into the sky, using all her senses to locate Naruto's trail and follow it, Sasuke following her on ground.

And meanwhile Izuki turned to Naoko, anger and deception combined shining in her eyes.

"I never imagined you capable of something like this Naoko-dono." Izuki finally commented. "One thing is that you decided to ignore everything happening in the middle of Konoha since fourteen years ago, but from that to yelling at Naruto-san that he is a monster… I never thought you could be that evil."

"I am not evil Izuki-san, I just said what I've always believed." Naoko said calmly, grudge in the depths of her voice. "That boy is nothing but a monster that will one day destroy Konoha as he already tried all those years ago."

"The kyuubi and Naruto-san are two completely different beings Naoko-dono, I thought you were intelligent enough to understand that." Izuki insisted. "Even when one is inside the other, that doesn't mean Naruto-san is the monster the kyuubi was."

"I can't see him as anything else."

"For Kami's sake! He is your own blood! Family! I understand you were hurt all that time ago and chose to get away, but from that to hurting him the way you just did…"

"I did nothing but tell the truth. The Sandaime tried to hide it, but everyone should know, for their own sake."

"That's b******t! I know you are hurt by what happened, but that gives you no right to do what you just did. Kushina-sensei would be really disappointed of you."

"Don't come tell me those things Izuki-san. My anehue died, and it was that boy's fault!"

"I was there that night, remember? Kushina-sensei died because she chose it that way, she chose to give up her life for those she loved: you, Minato-sama, and Naruto-san."

"That Minato was no better either."

"Don't you dare insult him!" Kakashi suddenly stepped in. "I won't let you insult Minato-sensei in my presence."

"It's the truth. All he ever brought to our clan was pain." Naoko insisted. "He took Kushina-onee-sama away from us, married her even when our parents didn't approve of him, she was barely seventeen for God's Sake! …and then she died. Mother died because of the pain of loosing her, and Father was killed in a mission shortly after, and I was given this mission of leading the broken remains of a Clan, when that was my sister's place, not mine."

"Many things happen in life that aren't planned." Izuki said a bit more calm now. "But it all depends in the decisions each of us takes, it was Kushina-sensei's decision to give her life for Minato-sama, and at the same time it was Minato-sama's decision to give his own life for everyone in Konoha. They fought, and died by their own decision, and not Naruto-san's fault."

"You will never understand what I felt when I knew what had happened." Naoko was almost crying. "You will never have an idea what I still feel every morning when I wake up knowing she isn't here anymore."

Kakashi was about to say something, but Izuki was faster:

"Maybe not." Izuki's voice was a bit sarcastic. "But I know how I felt when I found out my older brother had murdered almost everyone in my clan. And I know what I feel every morning when I wake up knowing none of them are here anymore." She sighed. "Yet I also know that my brother is here, Sasuke-kun, and even if just for that, my life is worth it. I am not alone, and neither are you, you have Naruto-san, if you just gave him the chance…"

Naoko didn't answer to this.

"Come on Kakashi-kun." Izuki said turning to her boyfriend. "We have to go."

"Let's hope Sakura and Sasuke have found Naruto." Kakashi said.

"I'm sure they did." Izuki assured. "We need to catch up with them. We need to have some serious talk with all three of them."

Kakashi just nodded.

And without even a goodbye the two of them left.

* * *

Before anyone says it, I know this is WAY out of current cannon. But it follows my own, as established during the story 'Izuki' so, if things don't fit current series, that's way; that's also why some things may be different regarding the past of a few characters as well. The thing is, I had already written this fic when some things were finally revealed in the ánime, and while I try to adapt my own story to fit what had been revealed, it is likely that I missed one or more points. Hope you won't mind. I decided to upload this fic anyway because, well, I had written it already and decided that maybe someone out there wouldn't mind the differences and like the story anyway. Hope I'm right.

Please leave me some reviews!

See ya next chapter!


	2. The Truth Revealed

**Chapter 2.- The Truth Revealed. **

Izuki descended from the sky right a second before Kakashi arrived by the ground. They were in a small clearing of the woods in the limits of Konoha. And for the looks of it Naruto had indeed tried to leave the place, provoking a battle (some trees were burnt or even broken), Sasuke stood there panting, Sakura was breathing deeply, and in the center was Naruto, kneeling, his sobs could be heard easily.

"When the hell did you become so powerful?" Sasuke asked still trying to recover his breath.

Just by looking at the three chuunins Izuki could deduce Naruto had tried to run, Sasuke tried fighting him to stop him, but the Uchiha never expected the great power the blonde now possessed, and at the end Sakura had to step in, using her abilities to stop the fight before it got out of control.

"I have this power because I'm a monster." Naruto spat. "A monster like that woman back there said."

"Onegai, don't say that Naruto-kun." Sakura said pleadingly.

"It is the truth!" Naruto spat. "I am a m…"

"Don't you dare say that again Naruto-san, ever." Izuki said seriously.

"But I am Izuki-san." Naruto said sadly. "The kyuubi is sealed inside me."

This confession made Sakura gasp, while Sasuke just stared in shock.

"That doesn't mean you are the kyuubi Naruto-san." Izuki replied with a smile.

"You knew it?" Sasuke asked, it sounded more like: You-knew-and-never-told-me.

"All of us who were old enough to understand things when the battle took place knew the kyuubi'd been sealed inside Naruto." Kakashi intervened. "But Sandaime-sama didn't believe that it would be a good idea for the younger generations to know it. He believed if the younger ones knew this they would push Naruto-san away, believe him to be that demon, and then he would never have any friends."

"But that happened anyway." Sakura said, recalling the way all adults had always treated Naruto, and as a consequence the kids had done the same, even without knowing the reason.

"When I was little, I never understood why nobody liked me." Naruto said sadly. "All the adults whispered behind me, and pulled their children away from me. And then I found out the reason as to why, two years ago, right before the official graduation. Mizuki-sensei tricked me, he wanted me to betray Konoha, Iruka-sensei managed to stop everything. But during the consequential battle Mizuki-sensei yelled in my face that I was a monster, that I had inside the demon that devastated Konoha so long ago, and that was the reason why no one liked me."

"That's not true Naruto-kun." Sakura assured him. "Sasuke-kun, Izuki-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, I, and many more are here; we are your friends. We have never believed you to be a monster, maybe a trickster and a bit irresponsible, but never a monster."

"Sakura-chan is right." Sasuke nodded. "You should have trusted us."

"I didn't know what to do." Naruto confessed. "I feared that when you knew what is inside me you would shun me away, just like many people do, like that woman back there."

"Naoko-baka…" Izuki whispered under her breath.

"Oh Naruto-kun…" Sakura hugged her friend. "I can't believe you had to go through all that. It's so unfair."

"Many times life isn't fair Sakura." Kakashi said seriously.

"Was there never anyone for you?" Sakura asked sadly.

"In the Academy Iruka-sensei always helped me, even when he lost his parents because of kyuubi's fault, he never blamed me." Naruto said with a small smile. "But before that…I remember there was one person who treated me well, a girl who would go visit me once in a while, but shortly after I entered the Academy she too disappeared, so I got to think she had been just a dream."

"She wasn't." Izuki assured him with a small smile.

Naruto was a bit confused at her confidence.

"That girl…" Izuki knelt before him. "It was me. I would visit you every time I got a chance, and when I disappeared, well…it was when I left Konoha so long ago."

"It was you?" Naruto asked, doubtful.

Izuki nodded.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"Because I've always believed you are the least guilty in this Naruto-san." Izuki explained. "It was never your fault the kyuubi attacked our village. And you weren't given his spirit and power so you would become some kind of monster but because Minato-sama believed you would one day do great good to Konoha using that power."

"You visited Naruto?" Sasuke was as confused as his teammates.

"I always believed it was what Kushina-sensei would have liked me to do." Izuki explained. "So Naruto-san, I don't want you to ever again say you believe yourself to be a monster, and I mean never again, understood? Your mother wouldn't have liked that."

"My mo…" Naruto began, Izuki's words registered slowly in his head. "You mean you knew my mother?"

"Hai." Izuki nodded. "I knew both your mother and father, although I got to know your mom considerably more."

"Honto?" Naruto was suddenly really excited.

"Honto ne." Izuki nodded. "She was in fact the ninja in charge of my team after we became chuunins, when our first sensei was killed: Kushina-sensei, known by many as the Mistress of Illusions."

"Kushina-sensei…" Sakura repeated, suddenly she was in shock. "Kushina-sensei! You mean the woman who created all those jutsus you've been teaching me was Naruto's oka-san?!"

"Most of them, hai." Izuki nodded. "She had a great imagination when it came to creating new jutsus, especially those that involved illusions, she was the best."

Naruto smiled widely now, truly proud of the woman his mother had been.

"I still remember her." Izuki said. "I met her the day Itachi-nii-san and I were promoted to chuunin level, she introduced herself as our new leader. She had sparkling sky-blue eyes, long fire-red hair that fell down in waves, and she always smiled, it was almost impossible not to see her smiling. She used to wear a sleeveless cream kimono that reached to her feet, with openings two in the front of her legs and two in the back and light-pink pants. Always beautiful, many men liked her, but she just accepted one near her."

"My otou-san?" Naruto guessed.

"Hai." Izuki nodded. "Minato-sama was a wonderful shinobi, the best Konoha had seen in a very long time; he used to say he had fallen in love with Kushina-sensei the moment he saw her for the first time, which happened the day she became a jounin, at age sixteen. You have to understand their relationship was complicated, because Minato-sama was eleven years older than Kushina-sensei, many said she seemed more like his student than his girlfriend."

"But even then they never cared." Kakashi added. "They truly loved each other, and what others could say didn't matter to them."

"Kushina-sensei's family didn't approve of the relationship, but as Kakashi-kun already said they didn't care." Izuki continued. "Her clan, they were refuges from the ravaged Whirlpool Country and they kept to themselves a lot. For what I know Kushina-sensei ran away from her house to marry Minato-sama; that was when I was eight, one year after I first met her. Then two years later you were born."

Sakura was sighing dreamily already, the thought of everything Izuki had just said, it just seemed like the perfect love story, but there was something missing.

"What happened to them?" Sasuke asked.

Izuki just sighed, her sigh was sad, compared to Sakura's previous one.

"They died in the battle against the kyuubi." Kakashi was the one to finally answer.

"What?!" they all asked in shock.

"Hai." Kakashi nodded. "A day after Naruto had been born, the kyuubi was already too close to Konoha, so they called all the ninjas in the village to fight before it was too late."

"I was there." Izuki added. "Even when I'd quitted the ANBU just a couple of months before to help my mother take care of Sasuke-nii-chan, when they told me Kushina-sensei had gone to fight, I went there too, I wanted to get to her, to convince her of going back with her son, to the refuge, but I never reached her…"

***Flashback (Narrated by Izuki)*** 

Naruto had just been born the day before. Kushina-sensei's recovery from giving birth was remarkable, although not that unexpected in a woman like her. Minato-sama went to fight, it was his duty to do so, and he left his wife and son in their house, which should be refuge enough being it apart from the main entrance of Konoha.

I was at home, helping my mother prepare dinner when suddenly Shizune-san entered the place, she was the nurse appointed to check on Kushina-sensei's recovery. When she entered the place she was in hysterics, it took a while for mother and me to calm her down, and when she finally did, what she said sent us into hysterics.

"Oh Izuki-chan this is awful." She said still distressed.

"What is it?" I asked. "Something happened to the baby or to Minato-sama?"

"Iie." She replied with a sob. "The baby is fine I left him with the maid, but Kushina-sensei has gone totally crazy."

"Well, we all now Kushina-sensei likes to do some rather crazy things but…"

"She's gone out to fight the kyuubi!"

"Nani?! How is that possible? Why did you let her?"

"She was very insistent about the matter, she said she needed to go protect the one she loved, and you know as much as I that there's no way to stop her once she has set her mind onto something, she's to powerful…"

"…and too stubborn, I know Shizune-san. But still, she just gave birth to a boy yesterday for Kami's sake!"

"I know that too. That's why I came. You're the only one who can make her see things straight. Onegai, Izuki-chan."

"If you haven't noticed, my dear Shizune-san, I'm barely ten."

"But you're a jounin, and everyone knows you're a wonderful kunoichi, and intelligent too. I'm sure that if there's someone capable of convincing Kushina-sensei to return, it is you."

"Thanks for the compliment. I still don't think I'm that good at convincing someone, but I can't let her out there either. Minato-sama will sure have our heads if anything happens to her." I turned to the kitchen. "Oka-san, I gotta go."

So I got ready in record time, and ran as fast as I could to the place of the battle. It was a complete disaster out there if you ask me. All the ninjas fighting at the best of their abilities, and still the kyuubi wiped them away as if they were nothing but mere toys.

And then I saw them: Minato-sama was preparing some jutsu, and Kushina-sensei fought hard near her husband, protecting him from any attack that may come. I tried to yell at them, but in the uproar of the battle my voice drowned. So I tried running to them, so concentrated I was in reaching them, that I didn't see what happened to one side of me…

The kyuubi had just hit some more ninjas with one of his tails, but the hit not only killed about half a dozen of good shinobi in an instant, but it also sent a good number of rocks flying in every direction. One of them made me trip, and before I had a chance to recover, a second one fell over my foot, crushing my ankle completely.

I tried to call someone's attention, but it seemed impossible, and then I got in panic one of the kyuubi's attacks had just been thrown straight to Minato-sama.

"Abunai!!!"

I yelled as loud as I could manage, and still it wasn't loud enough.

Minato-sama seemed to be able to notice the attack, but he just couldn't break the jutsu he had already begun. And the Kushina-sensei noticed what was about to happen, there was no time for a shielding jutsu, not that it would have done much good with an attack of that size, the kunoichi did the only thing she could think of in that moment: she threw herself between her husband and the attack.

"Iie!!" I cried out in panic, but it was useless now. "Kushina-sensei!"

Just then Kenji seemed to notice my presence, he helped me get the rock off me and carried me seeing as I couldn't stand by myself.

And then when we turned we could see Minato-sama doing his ultimate jutsu. There was a giant roar, like the greatest thunder I had ever heard, the ground seemed to shake along, and a moment later…nothing.

***End of Flashback***

"I never really got to understand what happened in that moment. Some days later I got to know that as the kyuubi was too strong to be truly vanquished, his essence and power were sealed inside a newborn child, Kushina-sensei's and Minato-sama's child." Izuki finished.

By then Sakura was already crying silent tears; Sasuke had unconsciously put a hand around her shoulders, trying to calm her down; and even when his face showed the same indifference as always, his eyes demonstrated he had been really touched by that story too.

Kakashi didn't say a thing, he had been in that battle, but not as near to those two as Izuki, and in a way he'd blamed himself for that. Maybe if he had been closer he would have been able to help in some way, to help Izuki, and Kushina, and Minato; he would have been able to prevent that terrible destiny from falling upon those two wonderful ninjas he so admired, and whom he had gotten to know so well in the past.

Naruto looked so sad, and it was to be expected, but in the other hand he was also proud, he now knew who his parents had been, and what had they done with their lives; they had been great ninjas, who gave their lives for love and for the welfare of Konoha. He would honor their memories, follow their example.

Izuki didn't know what to say anymore, she never imagined Naruto to be so ignorant about his family, his past. The Sandaime had believed it to be for the best, that of Naruto didn't know about it, it wouldn't affect him, he would have a chance to be happy, and at first Izuki had agreed with him; now she wasn't so sure.

"It's late already." Kakashi said. "Why don't we go get something for dinner?"

"Even better, let's go to my house." Izuki said. "There we'll eat something, talk a bit more and I have something you may like to have Naruto-san."

"Really?" Naruto answered, he seemed a bit excited, but most of his mind was still on what Izuki had just told them. "What is it?"

"You'll see once we get there." Izuki replied.

Naruto nodded.

Finally they decided to get on their way, it was a long road back to the Uchiha residence.

"Stop." Sakura said suddenly. "I sense someone is near."

"Hai." Izuki nodded. "I've had the feeling for a while, but wasn't too sure of it. It's almost as if someone were spying upon us."

They all immediately got their hands to their pouches.

"Get out!" Sasuke called, being the first to draw a kunai out from his pouch. "Whoever you are, come out now!"

"I'm here, I'm here." A keen and shy voice said from between the shadows. "Please don't hurt me Sasuke-san, I never meant any ill-will toward you."

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked recognizing her voice.

"Hai." The Hyuuga heiress finally came out from between the shadows.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" Kakashi asked.

It was, in fact, almost ten o'clock.

"The Hyuuga Compound is near." Hinata explained. "I heard what I believed to be a serious battle some hours ago and decided to investigate, and then I saw you."

"She must have heard Sasuke-kun's and Naruto-kun's battle." Sakura guessed.

"How much did you hear?" Izuki asked, unsure of what to do or say next.

"Everything." Hinata answered, and when seeing the looks of complete shock and mid-panic in everyone she immediately added. "But you don't have to worry about anything, I won't tell it to anybody. In fact…in fact I have known the truth for some time now."

"The truth?" Izuki asked. "How? There was a rule…"

"I know." Hinata nodded. "The rule talked about the adults not being able to tell the children that Naruto-kun had the kyuubi, but it didn't say anything about the files. I have access to every file and registry in the Hyuuga Library, there I read what happened that day, and that Naruto-kun had the kyuubi sealed inside him."

"And you didn't see me as a mo…" Naruto began.

"There you go again." Izuki said with faked anger.

"Gomen ne." Naruto apologized.

"Iie, never." Hinata answered honestly. "I've always believed Naruto-kun to be one being, and the kyuubi another, even if they both share the same body, Naruto-kun is Naruto-kun, and the kyubi is the kyuubi."

"Arigato Hinata-chan." Naruto said with a big smile.

Hinata just blushed.

"Hey Hinata-chan, why don't you join us for dinner?" Sakura proposed.

"I would love to." Hinata replied.

"Then lets go." Izuki said.

And so they began walking again.

* * *

There it is, the second chapter of this fic is here. Hope you'll like the way they all reacted, things aren't over yet, some secrets have yet to be revealed.

And while I know that Kushina's past may not exactly fit with cannon, like I said before, I wrote this before anything was known about her, even her name, and while that last part I could easily correct, the rest not so much.

Hope you still like this fic.

And please, leave me some reviews!


	3. Happy Birthday Naruto

**Chapter 3.- Happy Birthday Naruto. **

The group of ninjas arrived to the Uchiha residence in good time. There Izuki and Sakura could sense some chakras, the others guest had already arrived. And so Izuki and Sasuke entered first, pretending to be looking for the light switch in the dark, Kakashi followed them, and at last came Hinata, Sakura and Naruto, being him the last.

And just as Naruto entered the house Izuki pulled the light switch up.

"Surprise!" the cries of Tsunade, Shizune and Iruka filled the room.

"Nani?" Naruto was quite surprised.

And even when Hinata hadn't known about the surprise, it didn't take her long to understand it, and she couldn't help but smile.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"Happy Birthday Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed happily, hugging him.

"This is your surprise birthday party, baka." Sasuke told him with a big smirk, more like a playful smile.

"We know your birthday isn't until tomorrow, but as Kakashi-kun and I have to go on a mission tomorrow at noon, we decided to make the party tonight." Izuki explained.

"You did this for me?" Naruto asked, almost crying.

"Hai." Izuki nodded. "You don't like it?"

"I love it." Naruto replied, some tears, of happiness, falling down his cheeks. "Arigato gozaimazu."

"Hey, don't cry!" Sakura said poking him in the ribs. "You're supposed to be happy."

Naruto nodded and immediately dried his tears with the sleeve of his jacket.

"Well, we can't stay here all night." Kakashi said. "Let's begin the party."

"I brought sake." Tsunade announced.

Izuki and Sakura just turned to look at each other knowingly.

And meanwhile Hinata watched as Sasuke's mouth twitched into a small smile (not a smirk but a true smile) as he pulled Naruto to the table. She had noticed the important change in the Uchiha since his sister's arrival, but even then she never imagined she would actually see the boy smile.

'So many things are changing here.' The blue-haired thought to herself.

"Hey!" Naruto complained.

It seemed that right before Naruto sat on the chair Kakashi had pulled that same chair for himself, ending with Naruto falling hard on his butt; while those who had witnessed couldn't help but laugh at the scene.

'So many things have changed but not you, you'll never change Naruto-kun…' Hinata thought with a calm smile.

"Food is ready!" Izuki announced coming out from the kitchen carrying a pot with food, followed by Sakura who carried the plates.

"Ramen! Yeah!" Naruto yelled excitedly.

For the following two hours they all seemed to forget the conversation of earlier, and concentrated on just eating, drinking, chatting, smiling; in few words in doing what someone is supposed to do at parties.

As the hours passed by Tsunade got drunk, Shizune excused both of them and decided it was time to take the Godaime back home. Iruka excused himself saying he still had to give classes the following morning. And so, those who remained there decided it was time for the gifts.

"More gifts?" Naruto asked.

"What are you talking about dobe?" Sasuke asked. "We haven't given you anything."

"But you have, you gave me this party, a wonderful dinner, and your friendship." Naruto said with a sincere smile. "There's nothing more I could ask for."

"Good because our gifts aren't exactly big." Sakura said with a smile. "Here."

Naruto took the box and opened it, he found what looked like a pale-yellow sweater.

"It's pretty." Naruto thanked her.

"It's no normal sweater." Sakura told him. "It's made of a special thread, some say it uses chakra, it's as resistant as a thin armor, and reduces the impact of any punch or kick you may receive in the parts of the body covered by it.

"Arigato Sakura-chan." Naruto smiled even more.

Sasuke's gift was next. It was a pouch with some kunais and shurikens.

"They are not normal weapons." Sasuke explained. "Made of a special material, they are a lot more resistant that normal kunai and shuriken, and besides you may charge them with chakra to make your attack even more powerful."

"Wow…" Naruto was quite surprised with this gift.

Izuki just smiled, knowing Sasuke must really appreciate Naruto to give him such a gift. Those kunai and shuriken, the way they were made, they had once belonged to the Uchiha Shinobi, they were the only ones who possessed such weapons; in that moment Sasuke and Izuki were obviously the last ones using them, and now Naruto too.

"Arigato Sasuke-kun." Naruto strapped the pouch in place. "I'll see they get a good use."

Sasuke nodded.

"Even when I did not know this party would be taking place, there's something I had been wanting to give to you Naruto-kun." Hinata said with a shy smile.

She took a roll of paper and handed it to Naruto.

As curious as ever, the blonde shinobi unrolled the paper, coming out with a painting, a beautiful painting that showed Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Izuki and Kakashi standing together.

"You did this Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked fascinated.

"Hai." Hinata nodded.

"It's beautiful." Sakura complimented the blue-eyed girl.

"Arigato Hinata-chan. It is indeed beautiful." Naruto nodded with a smile. "But there's someone missing in it."

"Who?" Hinata was suddenly in panic, who had she forgotten to paint?

"You." Naruto answered signaling to her.

Hinata couldn't help but blush at the answer.

Sakura laughed lightly when she noticed the reaction in the Hyuuga heiress, while Sasuke just turned his eyes and shook his head in mid-annoyance.

"Well, just one gift missing." Izuki said bringing out a small wrapped gift. "Kakashi and I got this for you, I know it's not big, but perhaps you'll like it."

Naruto had never cared about the size of what he was given, as he had already said having that party had been already enough of a gift. He took the package and unwrapped it as fast as he could. Inside was what looked like two portraits folded together.

In one side was a couple: the man blonde with deep blue eyes dressed in a white suit, the woman of long fire-red waves and sky-blue eyes wearing a beautiful snow-white dress; holding each other's hands, smiling.

The photo on the other side showed the very same couple, some years later: in this the man wore a green shirt, and dark yellow jacket and pants, while the woman wore a cream dress; smiles adorned their faces while he hugged her from behind, as she held in her arms a small blonde and blue-eyed baby.

"Are they…" Naruto didn't even dare finish the sentence.

"They are your parents Naruto." Kakashi nodded. "Kushina-sensei and Minato-sama."

"The first photo was taken by Kakashi-kun in the day of their wedding." Izuki explained. "The second one I took it, the day you were born."

Hinata, Sakura and Sasuke immediately peeked from behind Naruto to see the photographs, they were really beautiful.

Naruto was slowly crying again, even after everything Izuki had told him, he never imagined to be able to see his parents.

Suddenly Sakura shrieked, she had noticed something.

"Oh Kami! Oh Kami! Oh dear Kami-sama!" she repeated over and over.

"What is it Sakura-chan?" Sasuke asked.

"Don't you see it?" she asked. "That man is Yondaime-sama!"

"Nani?!" Sasuke and Naruto turned their heads again to the photo.

"Sakura-chan is right." Hinata nodded. "Namikaze Minato-sama was the Yondaime Hokage."

"You knew this too?" Kakashi asked.

Hinata nodded.

"My father, he was the Hokage…" Naruto murmured to himself.

"Looks like that craziness of wanting to become Hokage is a family thing." Sakura commented with a playful smirk.

"Looks like it." Sasuke agreed.

"It wasn't craziness." Izuki replied. "Minato-sama always said he would be the Hokage, and he demonstrated he deserved that title."

"Wait a moment." Sasuke seemed to notice something else. "You mean the Yondaime sealed the kyuubi into his own son?"

"Hai." Izuki nodded.

"As Izuki-chan already told you, Minato-sensei always believed his son would do a great good with the power of the kyuubi." Kakashi explained. "He wanted to believe his son would one day be considered a hero."

"It's sad that most people thought more in the fact that Naruto-kun had the kyuubi inside him, and not in who's son he was, or why he had been given that power." Hinata said sadly. "Maybe if things had been the way Minato-sama and Kushina-dono wished, Naruto-kun wouldn't have had to suffer so much."

"Maybe." Naruto nodded. "But I do believe things turned out fine, after all I have you Hinata-chan, and Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan, Izuki-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei, Konohamaru-kun, Tsunade-oba-san, and that old pervert of Ero-sennin. I need no one else with me."

The rest just smiled.

"Their smiles, and the light in their eyes." Hinata commented suddenly. "They loved each other and you so much."

"Indeed they did." Kakashi nodded.

"Kushina-sensei was so happy the time she was pregnant, some would assure she glowed with pride and joy, she was so happy you would be born." Izuki commented.

"And I remember Minato-sensei." Kakashi added. "I remember the day he found out he was going to be a father…I noticed he was distracted, and took the chance to challenge him to a fight, as always he accepted, but even as we fought he didn't seem to be fully focused. That was the only day I ever defeated him, and even when we had finished, he continued with the same face, and it was until I asked him what was wrong that he finally told me: 'I'm going to be a father Kakashi. Kushina is pregnant. We are going to have a child.' I honestly never saw him so excited about something. Not even when he was named Hokage."

Naruto smiled.

"You have grown into a very mature young boy, and a wonderful ninja, Naruto-san." Izuki murmured in a low voice, so only Kakashi heard her. "I'm sure that, wherever they are now, Minato-sama and Kushina-sensei are very proud of you."

And meanwhile Naruto just hugged the photos to his chest.

"Oka-san…Otou-san…"

.---.

The following morning Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto met Izuki and Kakashi near Konoha's gates to bid them farewell.

"We shall be back in one or two weeks." Izuki explained. "I hope you'll be good kids meanwhile."

Sasuke raised a brow at the comment.

"And I suggest you use this time to rest because once we're back I'll have you training very hard." Kakashi added.

"Yeah, sure." All three ninjas dismissed the comment immediately.

It was still around an hour until noon, so the group stopped to have a picnic right in the limits of the village. Hinata too arrived carrying some pastries she had baked earlier that day and it was like a continuation of the previous night's party.

"So, how are you liking this birthday so far Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked with a smile.

"I can say it is the best birthday I've had in my whole life." Naruto assured.

Just then he was eating some small cake with cream Hinata had done for him when 'accidentally' he threw some of the cream into Sasuke's face.

"Hey, baka!" Sasuke complained.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh at him.

And when the Uchiha boy noticed Sakura too was laughing he turned and tried to glare at her, failing miserably.

"Fine. If you want it." Sasuke said, he took some cream himself of another piece of cake and threw it. "Take this."

And even when he had tried to throw it to Sakura, Kakashi moved and got in the middle.

Seconds later it all turned into a food fight with everyone missing almost in purpose and laughing their heads off. Their fun went on for some minutes more until a female voice called their attention.

"Excuse me."

They all stopped their fight, or game, and turned to see the newcomer. None of them had problems to identify her, but even then the reactions were quite different: Hinata bowed her head in respect, Naruto got to his feet and gave a step backwards, Sasuke and Sakura immediately took a defensive stance right in front of their friend, while Kakashi and Izuki just stared right back at her: Naoko Kimazuu.

Hinata was quite surprised at the attitude the three friends took.

"What are you doing here Kimazuu-dono?" Kakashi asked as he stood up before the woman.

Izuki followed suit, all the while cleaning her face and hands, and standing next to her boyfriend and before the woman.

"I just came to talk to you." Naoko explained.

"Don't you think you've done enough damage already?" Izuki asked coldly.

"Listen to me." Naoko insisted. "Onegai, Naruto-kun, I know I made a mistake yesterday, I shouldn't have said all those awful things I said about you. It's just that…I don't know, I couldn't think clearly."

"But the main mistake you didn't make it yesterday Kimazuu-dono." Kakashi said seriously. "You made it the day you turned your back on Naruto, even knowing he was your nephew, the son of the sister you claimed to love."

"And I loved her, I really did!" Naoko insisted. "It was just that…Oh I don't even know." She sighed. "My parents insisted so much that Minato-sama was the worst person for taking Kushina-onee-sama away that I came to believe that. I'm really sorry."

"It's not us you should be apologizing to Naoko-dono." Izuki said trying not to sound so harsh this time.

Knowing what she meant Naoko turned her head to Naruto. Sasuke and Sakura seemed to understand what she wished and after a couple of seconds in doubt they finally stepped away.

"Naruto-kun…Gomen nasai." Naoko said. "I know I'm not worthy of even begging forgiveness after what I've done to you, I'm not worthy of you ever calling me family, or of being considered as the sister of someone as great as Kushina, but still I hope you'll one day give me a chance to prove you I'm truly sorry for everything I've done."

"I…" Naruto didn't seem to know exactly what to say. "I have nothing to forgive. I think…I think that in a certain way I understand why you did everything you've done. And even if I have to admit it hasn't been easy for me to live all alone all this time; like I said, I believe it all turned out for the best. I have friends, people I know that accept me no matter how I am, or what I have inside me; I consider them almost like a family. I need nothing else."

Naoko remained silent, almost loosing all hope of having a chance.

"As I said there's nothing to forgive." Naruto went on. "But if you wish so much for my forgiveness you have it, you've always had it." He smiled a bit when he added: "And if you wish for us to be family, I would be very glad to give it a try."

"Arigato, Naruto-kun." Naoko said with a big smile.

And after thinking about it for a couple of seconds she embraced Naruto tightly. Naruto smiled warmly and embraced her back.

'Is this how it feels when you have someone you can call family with you?' Naruto wondered. 'Is this warm feeling what Sasuke gets from Izuki-sensei, and Sakura from her family? Is this what I could have gotten from my parents hadn't they died?' he sighed. 'Then the only thing I wish now is to be able to feel it everyday for the rest of my life.'

"Naoko-ba-san…" Naruto whispered in a low voice.

Naoko couldn't help but cry out of joy at this.

Izuki, Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke and Hinata just stood there, watching the scene in silence and with small smiles on their faces. It seemed things were finally turning out right for them all.

But even when this meant an end to a situation that began fourteen years ago; it also meant a beginning to many more that would be taking place from now on. With everything they had seen until then it was obvious that, in their lives, anything could happen.

**The End.**

(Or isn't it?)

* * *

Actually it is, the end I mean, and on my part at least. Originally this was just the second of a long series of stories in which more new characters would be entering, changing things. Eventually our heroes would have to face the Akatsuki and of course Orochimaru and the Sound. I had even considered making something quite rash once I found out that Itachi wasn't really a villain, but in the end I never did. I went about halfway through the second chapter of this fic's sequel, and then nothing, there was a huge writer's block, and so much has changed in cannon, and then it has just been so long, I guess I mostly lost interest in this fic. This is also one of two where I use NaruHina and SasuSaku, right now I much prefer NaruSaku, and mostly dislike Sasuke.

Another important fact is that only one person has reviewed this fic, and only did so once. As few readers as I had in Izuki I never thought it would go like that, so I guess one could say I'm also lacking the motivation to give the sequel a try.

However if (and I know this is a Huge If) anyone shows any interest on continuing this just let me know, if you want I can even send you what little I had done, I'm stating right now I won't be doing it. So, that's that.

I still, hope you liked this fic, as far from current cannon as it is.

_Adieu_


End file.
